Major Tourist Activities In Lesotho

Hiking is very popular in Lesotho. It is God’s own place for backpackers. The weather can get treacherous in winter (May to July) when the highlands are snowbound. The landscape will always remain in your mind’s eye but it is advisable not to make Lesotho your first hiking experience. Bring all equipment with you; you won’t get them on rental here.

You cannot come away from the country without an experience of the pony treks on the sure-footed Basotho ponies. There are several pony trekking centres, such as the ones in Sehlathebe National Park and the waterfalls near Semonkong among others.

Enjoying the outdoors does not always mean a rattling rescue from a ravine! You can drive around the country on a 4WD – it is one of the best ways to see this country of spectacular landscapes. There are roads to every part of the country, though they may not all be paved. If you are not going on an organised tour, get yourself a good road map to begin with. Car hire companies are in plenty in the major towns and cities. Insist that they give you spares and accessories along with details of fuel stations on your route. You can camp any where in Lesotho provided you take permission from the village headman. Meat, bread, sugar, oil and green vegetables are usually sold in the villages; carry your own cooking vessels. It is very important to carry jerry cans of reserve fuel and lots of drinking water along with you. Lesotho is also an ornithologist’s delight with an impressive tally of more than 300 recorded bird species! Carry fishing gear if you want to go trout fishing along the way. You will also need a permit for this, which is obtainable in Maseru.